Published 1:44 pm, Friday, September 4, 2009

The Tiger offensive and defensive tackle received a written offer from the defending national champions and top-ranked Florida Gators on Tuesday, Sept. 1 -- the first day colleges could make official offers to underclassmen.

"I'm really excited," said the 6-5, 285-pound Jordan, who was conspicuously wearing a Florida basketball shirt under his football pads. "I guess I'm still a little in shock. This is the kind of stuff you dream about."

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Florida, however, isn't the only school Jordan has impressed, as Boston College, whose camp Jordan also attended this summer, presented an offer on Tuesday.

"I'm so proud of him," Ridgefield coach Kevin Callahan said. "He's done everything the right way and he's being rewarded for it."

And Callahan said Tuesday's two offers are likely just the first of many that will come Jordan's way.

"We're expecting about 40 to come in," Callahan said. "Once we get them all, we'll go through them and he can pick where he wants to take his official visits."

It sounds like Boston College and Florida are certainly ahead in the recruiting battle for Jordan.

"I can't imagine it getting much better than this," Jordan said. "The best school in the Northeast is BC and the best school in the country is Florida. It's incredible."

Jordan, who just recently celebrated his 16th birthday, turns heads when he lines up for Tigers.

In fact, in a Thursday scrimmage against Brookfield, Jordan had to be told several times to back up so he wouldn't line up offsides.

"He's too big," one official said. "He's feet are in the right spot, but his body extends over the line. It's amazing."

Jordan, meanwhile, is amazed with his current predicament, one he knows he's lucky to be in.

"I'm going to have some tough choices to make," Jordan said. "But I'm so happy and my parents are so excited. My dad was in shock when I told him. I don't think he really believed it at first."

It didn't fully register with Jordan either, especially after he supposedly struggled at Florida's June camp for high school linemen.

"It was nothing but football for a week," Jordan said of the Florida camp. "We did a lot of lineman drills, which I could have done better on. I did, however, feel like I did well when we lined up defensive lineman against offensive lineman."

Addazio, a former offensive coordinator at WestConn and head coach for Cheshire High, evaluated Jordan following the camp.

"Mainly, it was just technique type things he needed to work on," Callahan said. "He needs to stay lower, but the Florida coaches loved his attitude and the way he played football."

The Golden Eagles felt the same way when they saw Jordan at their camp and made it known, constantly contacting Jordan prior to offering him a scholarship.

"I guess I kind of felt the Boston College offer was coming, but it's no less exciting," said Jordan, who also plays basketball for the Tigers. "The Florida offer, however, I never expected."

Jordan also never really considered leaving the Northeast, but he admitted he is now.

"The weather is hot down there," Jordan said. "It would take some getting used to, but it would be nice to be able to be outside all year long."

Jordan also admitted running out of the tunnel into Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium -- The Swamp -- in front of 88,000 fans holds some appeal.

"We got to play in there during camp," Jordan said. "It was amazing when it's empty. I can't imagine it when it's full."

But even with two dream offers to play Division I football, Jordan has not lost his focus on his remaining two seasons with Ridgefield.

"The team always comes first for me," Jordan said. "This team wants to win an FCIAC and a state championship and I want to be a part of that. I'll take care of playing at the next level when I get there."